Coast Coaches Corner -- Bubba Gonzalez
Here is a Q&A session with Orange Coast College head football coach, Bubba Gonzalez.
First question … where did Bubba come from??
"When I first started playing football at 7-years-old, I had to play with the older kids because I was already a bigger kid. My Pop Warner coach, because I was still one of the bigger players, started calling me, "Bubba" and my mom, being from Texas ... the name just kinda stuck with me. My actual real name is Joel, but it's hardly used, unless I was called that by a teacher of something."
As a kid growing up, was it always football in the family?? Were you interested in other sports?? What got you attracted to football?`
"I grew up in Santa Ana and my parents were always working, so our choices were pretty simple -- play sports, or hang out in the streets. I didn't want any part of the streets and the gangs so we went to sports. I started at 7 and played into my 20s. Football has always been a staple in my life and it's the reason why I've been able to excel in life. Being barely 6'1, there weren't too many offensive linemen that small. I was 250-270 pounds and now, my son plays the O-line and he's already 310 pounds. I tried to play beyond my college years, but I knew it wasn't something I was going to make a living at, but I wanted to stay in the sport so I began coaching."
One of the first things you really focused your attention on when you first became the head coach here was the OCC football culture … creating a culture of accountability and discipline. Do you feel like that foundation has been established and what are some aspects of this that you'd like to see continue to improve??
"I'm going to say 'yes and no' to that one. I think the players know what the expectations are. I'm a fair guy but also someone who won't give you anything. I did realize I had to focus on surrounding these kids with the right environment and to give them this positive culture. I needed to hire coaches who were also like-minded people so we were all on the same page with what we wanted to create here. It's about the players ... it's not about us. I've already had my time and I reached my dream of playing Division I football. Now it's time for me and coaching staff to pay it forward. In my life, I've had success and lots of self-inflicted downfalls, so I don't want them to experience the same mistakes that I made. Having a full, committed coaching staff is not easy at this level, with our limited money and the amount of hours it takes. But I wanted coaches that will positively influence these players the best way that we can."
Talk about your time at OCC. You were first brought in as a defensive line coach. At that time, did you have aspirations to become a football head coach at this level or any level, for that matter??
"To be honest, it wasn't even a thought in my mind. I was having so much fun as a D-Line coach and I simply wanted to be the best D-Line coach I could be for the kids. I took pride in learning the current techniques and mastering my craft. That was what my focus was. At this level, since I was also a community college product, I wanted to know everything. As things went on, I wanted to see what makes community college football go and be successful. But I still wasn't sure if that's what I wanted to do, but things began to happen and I was able to take it over and from there, I started to make it my priority to become the best head coach I can possibly be."
If I told you on Day 1 as our assistant coach that you'd be running this program just a few short years later, would you have believed me??
"I didn't learn this about myself until COVID ... but I learned the importance of being confident to my abilities and stay driven to my goals and stick with the people that want to help. Also it's important adapt and adjust with what's going on around me. I want to win and be successful, but scholarships and moving kids to the next level mean even more to me. Kids earning their degree, successfully matriculating through the OCC system and getting them to the four-year level. I'm trying to juggle everything at once. Taking my wins where we get them. I've been thrown into the fire, but for me, I just need to be ready for whatever. It's stressful, for sure and I don't want the kids to have a bad season, but that's part of the growing process. I'm confident we are making progress every year. We've gotten better and better. Even though it's a COVID year, I think we have a pretty good squad and I think we can have some success."
Who were your biggest coaching role models from your time as a player?? What were some of the biggest things you learned from that coach that you've carried into your head coaching career??
My high school coach at Mater Dei, Bruce Rollinson, really was a huge influence on me in terms of learning how to to be tenacious. Coach Kendall Blackburn, during my time at UNLV, is another coach who had that 'never give up' type of attitude. Things will happen, both good and bad, and you have to figure out a way to get things done. I also had another coach at UNLV named Mark Weber ... he was relentless in his demands on us, but he cared about us and I appreciated that style of coaching. I know him now as a fellow coach and talking with him and picking his brain for information is a real comfort."
Was being a head coach something you always wanted to do?? When was that career choice something you really wanted to pursue??
To be a head coach was really something that wasn't an actual goal of mine. But did I want to be a leader in life? Absolutely. I wanted to be someone that others can follow ... someone to rely upon to make good decisions. When I got to OCC, I got some desire to become a coordinator, so I started picking brains of other coaches. I wanted to be a good leader with good organizational skills, so I changed my mindset from coordinator to being a leader of this program. At this point, I have more confidence in myself. I'm not one who cares about titles or anything like that, but I'm happy that I can be a positive leader and create a positive work environment. I became a little more motivated once I came to OCC. Love college sports and athletics and being here at OCC ... there is so much potential with this program."
Compare the OCC football program now compared to what it was when you first got hired? Are you pleased with the progress this program has made during your time here?
When I came in, I noticed things that weren't in place for the kids, both from an academic and social standout. I saw what the issues were and I used my styles to help solve some of these problems. I began to make contacts on campus outside of our department and being a contributor to our entire campus -- not just our athletic department -- is important to me. I'm invested in the school and now we are starting to do that. I have one coach who is teaching in audio-visual and another coach who is a math tutor that we can utilize in our PRESS Program. We have to be creative to help solve some of these issues. We have to bring more to the table than just football. Those things will help bring success to our program. Successful programs have this foundation in place and we are definitely making progress."
What do you remember about your first game as OCC head coach?? Butterflies?? Any funny stories or recollections??
"Oh man ... my head was spinning! If you could picture someone with their head literally spinning, that was me. There is so much responsibility, it can be overwhelming at times. You don't have the luxury of just knowing certain things, you have to know everything! The entire game felt like it was played in fast forward , but at the same time, I remember having so much fun because the kids were so excited to get the season going and having me as a head coach. It's definitely a day and night I'll never forget."
It's obviously been an incredibly difficult tenure for you thus far … with the outbreak of COVID -19 and the restrictions that have been placed on all sports throughout the country. I know coaches like to look at all negative situations as "challenges" rather than "obstacles" so what kind of plan do you have for this fall to keep the program running in the direction you want?
"Right now, our focus is to be ready. Eventually, it will come. I'm focusing on being accountable to ourselves. I was talking about this in our team meetings. COVID exposes our weaknesses and it really has sent me and my coaches to become virtual football coaches. How can you be a coach online? This is what we are learning to do. We have to be adaptable. I can't complain and moan about my situation. I need to keep them engaged and interested in OCC. Our coaching staff is ready to go and I'm so happy about that. Once we went online, we really didn't skip a beat. We were on Zoom right away, knowing that we needed to stay engaged. If we didn't have any contact and just left it up to them to do their own work, we'd lose them. We have to be creative with our engagement. We need to help them with anxieties with COVID, school and with all of that, teach them the game. Teach them about life and making good decisions -- golden nuggets – things you can take and apply to life. We are making sure they were good mentally and emotionally. It's hard for some of the players that we couldn't be together so it was important that we needed to be there for them, however we can be. We won't let COVID get to them to where they aren't working out, going to school and making poor decisions."
Football is one of our sports that has more of a diverse roster, with kids from all over the country competing year in and year out here at OCC. With the ever-growing social unrest throughout the country, what have you been able to do here at Coast to help bring inclusion to everyone on this team as well as teams in the future?
"When George Floyd was killed in May, I reached out to the team and pulled them together and let them know I was there for them and I cared about each and every one of them. I encouraged them that if they had any sort or negative racism they're dealing with, that I wanted to know about that. I want to make all of our students more comfortable here. I see myself as an advocate to my players ... not just race, but other diverse populations. I'm here to advocate for them. Making sure that my athletes aren't experiencing those negatives. If they are, I want to help figure out how to solve them. The players have my number and I'm always asking questions. I want to show them through my actions that they know I care about them and I'm there for them. OCC is good, but we can definitely do better. I've approached (Athletics Director Jason Kehler and Dean of Kinesiology and Athletics, Dr. Michael Sutliff) about a protocol to handle situations as we try to build a trust with our athletes. We should ALL be accommodating and for the most part, that is the case ... but it's not always the case. It makes me want to be more involved."
Off the field, there have been so many success stories in your short time here at OCC … is there one in particular that you're most proud of??
"There have already been so many. We've had several of our athletes that came from nowhere and have so many life obstacles to overcome. The last couple of years, a kid like Kyre Adams has made his future possible and that's due to his decisions. Other kids have to sleep in a small room with five other family members and they tell me that coming to football is the best moment they have because I'm their coach. Anytime I can help a kid better himself, that makes me happy."
As a head coach, what are some aspects of the job that you'd like to improve upon??
"For me personally, I want to continue to contribute to the school in any way possible, both as a faculty member and as a football coach. I really want try to build those bridges from the academic side of campus to the athletics side. I want the pieces in place for both sides of our campus to be successful."
Tell me a bit about the upcoming season … how are the numbers for this year's team?? What do you know about the group so far??
"It's hard to predict with wins and losses, but I'm confident that our young men are confident that when we get back on the field, we will be ready to go. The hard work and the pride in their craft are there. We've done a good job of connecting with the older players, so that's been a huge improvement. For us, we've really been trying to teach them that yes they're going to be competing with the younger players, but we will all be competing for the same team. I anticipate us finding success on both sides of the ball as well as plenty of scholarship opportunities for those who put in the work."
This past year, following the loss of baseball coach, John Altobelli, the term "Pirate Family" has really come into the forefront. Now that you've been here for a few years, what does "Pirate Family" mean to you? What has this experience at OCC meant to you and what do you enjoy the most about being here at OCC?
"One of the things I saw was the general compassion and empathy for each other. Everyone had their own experiences with John and the spirit of OCC really came out there. I always knew we had that in us and I can feel that energy. When we say 'family' we want to be there for each other. Saying 'how ya doin' … one thing I really like is that. I'd like to see more student-athletes supporting each other. I'd love to see our athletes come to more football games, but I'd like to see all of our athletes support all of our sports. We all want to try and do the exact same thing but in different sports. Sometimes we all end up in our own little bubble, but we might as well support us all while we are here. We all want us to get our players to that next level. If I can help any of the other sports succeed, I'd be happy to help."
